The PIE Principle – How Do You Like Your PIE?

Welcome back Viphilus*

Ever had anyone ever say to you, “it’s not personal”?  You knew when they said that they were ignorant of a truth that all of us know … that it’s always personal.

So I won’t mince words … let’s get personal.

How do you like your PIE?  Your own engagement level in life is dictated by how well you engage yourself in each of the three areas of purpose, identity and empowerment.

Many people today prefer to talk about passion, rather than engagement. They’ll ask, what is your passion?”  OR  “What are you passionate about?”   This is very important, but please understand that passion doesn’t get the whole job done when it comes to full engagement, let alone overcoming self-limiting, self-defeating and self-destructive thinking and behaviour. I’ll address passion in a future month because it really is important … but for now let’s just stick to Purpose Identity and Empowerment.

Let these questions guide a course of self-reflection. The more seriously you take these questions, the more often and more fully you’ll be able to achieve peak performance and experiences … and life will simply be better.

Purpose

1. Do you have a reason for everything you do?
2. How much of what you do is for no reason at all?
3. Jim Loehr (author of, The Power of Story) says that “human beings are mission-specific as a species.”  Do you understand what he means by that?
4. Intentionality is not about the plans that you have … it is about the plans that you execute. Purpose powers intentionality. Does this make sense to you?
5. How much of what you do is driven just by urgency? How much by the demands of someone else?
6. Do you have specific roles that you play (parent – child – brother – boss – etc.) and do you put intentional energy into them?
7. Do you embrace an assigned task/job and put 100% into it because you know how to make it your own mission?
8. Do you challenge yourself at doing every job better than your previous attempts?
9. Do you know how to turn something negative into a positive point-of-purpose for yourself?
10. If you are a faith-based person ... do you believe that God has something specific for you to do? Do you know what it is yet? Do you know what to do until you find out?

Identity

1. When people ask who you are do you immediately tell them about what you do rather than who you are?  Can you tell someone who you are without making reference to what you do?
2. Do you know what makes you special or unique?
3. Have you ever had a time when you felt that you added value to a team or group in a way that made the team/group better?
4. You have at least one “gift” or “talent” that you’ve had from birth. Do you know what it is?
5. You had unique experiences that have shaped you into who you are now … experiences that have made you better at relating to others in some way. Do you understand what they are?
6. What is at the centre of your identity? (in other words – what is your prime motivation in life … what do you think about the most)?
7. Do you love yourself, warts and all? Can you imagine others loving you unconditionally?
8. If you are a faith-based person … is your identity linked at all to your relationship to God?  If Yes, how?  If No, why not?
9. Do you understand that you are both the rider AND the elephant?

Empowerment

1. What is your autonomy temperament? Do you feel better when someone tells you what to do or when you are left alone to do things on your own?
2. Do you have the skills or tools to know how to better yourself? Do you even want to?
3. What do you do to cope with being over/under managed/controlled by another person?
4. Are you a hammer or a nail? Do you understand this metaphor?  How about the words, “victim” vs. “author”?
5. What is your adaptive capacity? (your resilience to change?)  Does change make you crazy? Do you resist change a lot or a little?
6. Do you often/always succumb to thought patterns that are not in your self-interest and just can’t change the way you think?
7. Are you easily offended? Do you find it hard/impossible to forgive?
8. Does your rider know how to train your elephant?  (ie: does your principled logical side know how to make it easier for your carnal side take the path that is not self-limiting, self-defeating and self-destructive)?
9. Do you blame your behaviour or thinking patterns on the people and experiences of your past? Do you believe that you can't overwrite the "scripts" already written in your head?

Wrestle with these questions Viphilus,

Bless you.

Your friend, Omega Man

OCA Training

* Viphilus means, "lover of life"